Swoosh! Swoosh!
The sound of tearing air.
Arrows!
They were silent, fired from the darkness, aimed perfectly at Ryker's vitals.
But Ryker's [Spider Sense] covered a 100-meter radius.
Unlike En, which used aura to detect presence, his sense detected vibrations. Every plant, every insect had a frequency. When an intruder entered, the frequency shifted.
Even without En, he could see them clearly.
Like candles in the dark.
Ponzu's bees were useless against hidden snipers, but Ryker's radar was flawless.
Ryker tilted his head slightly.
Zip.
Three arrows flew past his ear.
Triple shot. Nice technique. Pokkle?
In the trees, the sniper froze.
He dodged? Without even looking?
Realizing his ambush failed, he prepared to retreat.
But then he heard a sonic boom.
A black javelin was hurtling toward him.
BOOM!
It was the wooden spit Ryker had used to roast the pig.
It pierced the sniper's chest, lifting him off the branch and pinning him to the massive tree trunk behind him. The impact shattered the wood.
"Is... is he human?"
The sniper's last thought faded as darkness took him.
Ryker's expression didn't change.
Those who kill must be prepared to be killed.
He wasn't a saint. If you came with malice, you left in a body bag.
[Divine Strength] (Red).
A sharpened stick thrown by him was basically a railgun.
So many mosquitoes tonight, Ryker thought, slapping his neck.
In another dark bush.
A pair of snake-like eyes watched.
Geretta the Hunter. #384.
He was an expert huntsman, specializing in blowdarts coated with neurotoxin. A scratch meant death.
He had been waiting for Ryker to be distracted.
The moment Ryker threw the spear, Geretta blew.
Pfft.
Two black needles flew silently.
Perfect aim. Straight for Ryker's neck.
"Got him!" Geretta's eyes lit up.
He hated Ryker's arrogance. The way he "spawn camped" the boat. The way he looked down on everyone. Today, the "genius" would die like any other prey.
Ting! Ting!
A soft, metallic sound echoed in the quiet night.
Geretta froze.
His eyes bulged.
Impossible.
His darts were reinforced steel. They could pierce the hide of a magical beast.
But they bounced off Ryker's neck.
Not even a scratch. Not a drop of blood.
How?!
Is his skin harder than steel?!
A chill ran down Geretta's spine. His hunter instincts screamed: RUN.
This wasn't a human. It was a monster in human skin.
He turned to flee. He would never hunt this guy again.
But as he turned, he saw something confusing.
A headless body was crouching in front of him.
Wait.
It was wearing his clothes. His shoes. His gloves.
And it was holding his blowpipe.
Why... does it have no head?
The world spun.
In his last second of consciousness, Geretta realized the truth.
That... is my body.
A fillet knife was embedded in the tree trunk behind him. The blade had sliced through his neck so fast his brain hadn't registered it.
"Ponzu! Cleanup on Aisle 4! Go get the badges and wash the blood off. I'm going to sleep."
Ryker yawned, lying back down.
He left the looting to his Roomba.
Ponzu: "..."
The poor girl looked at the man pinned to the tree like a shish kebab. Then at the headless corpse of Geretta.
She turned away and vomited again.
[Day 7: The Final Day]
The island was vast. Encounters were rare if you didn't look for them.
Normally, it took three days to cross the island.
The Association had instructed them to gather at the East Coast for extraction.
For the last few days, Ryker and Ponzu had done nothing but camp, eat, and sleep.
"Ryker-sama..." Ponzu murmured, her face red. "We... we haven't found any badges. If we don't pass... you can take my badge. I wouldn't have survived this long without you."
She was genuinely worried. She didn't want to be a burden.
"The exam isn't over yet. Relax," Ryker waved his hand, walking ahead. "I promised to carry you, didn't I?"
He already had enough points (Illumi's badge + his own = 6). But he needed extra for Gon's team, just in case. Or maybe just for fun.
"But..."
"Release your bees. Big catch coming."
They arrived at a wide clearing on the East Coast. This was the extraction point.
"Huh? Ryker-sama... you mean?"
Ponzu finally realized.
Why hunt for badges one by one in a dangerous jungle?
Why chase people?
"You don't slaughter the pig when it's skinny," Ryker smiled, standing in the center of the clearing. "You wait until it's fat."
All the candidates who had successfully gathered 6 points would come here.
They were bringing the badges to him.
Time for the harvest.
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